Portable misting fan

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed an integral portable fan and atomizing head unit forming a portable cooling unit adapted for direct attachment to a fluid reservoir such as a bottle, formed by a unit having an upper chamber and a lower chamber and a connector secured to the lower chamber. The upper chamber is provided with a motor and electrical means to activate and deactivate the motor and fan means including flexible fan blades mounted externally on the upper chamber and connected to the motor to turn in response to the activation of the motor. The lower chamber is provided with pump means and pump activation means and provided with an atomizing head in order to atomize fluid pumped up through the head. The connector is attached to the lower chamber and is adapted to disengageably engage a fluid reservoir directly, such as a bottle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the art field relating to portablefans. Typically, such devices take the format of a flashlight assemblyhaving a fan head mounted at the top end as opposed to a light, andwherein the casing contains a pair of batteries to electrically operatethe fan. The typical use for such device is to evacuate odors, smoke, orother deleterious substances from the immediate environment of the userthereof. It is appreciated, however, that such portable fans are usedfor a variety of purposes.

The present invention recognizes as an additional use for such portablefans the provision of cooling capability for the operator where theoperator counters hot or very warm conditions. Typical applicationswould be sun-bathers, or perhaps other persons finding themselves in awork environment which is warm or hot, and sporting activities

A typical portable cooling misting fan is described and claimed in U.S.Pat. No. 4,839,106, which is owned by the inventor herein. Pursuant tothe description contained in the aforementioned patent, there isprovided a portable misting fan which is in a self-contained unit, andis elongate in configuration such as to accommodate the provisiontherein of a fluid reservoir, and an extended neck portion having at thetop end, a fan along with an atomizing head. As described therein, fluidis pumped from the fluid reservoir upwardly to the atomizing head whichis located below the fan and as fluid is extracted from the atomizinghead, the fan, which is located behind a baffle, blows the fluid ontothe body of the operator. The present invention is an improvementthereover, in that various features have been changed in order to makethe portable cooling fan and misting unit more efficient and therefore,more cooling in the effects realized therefrom.

Hence, the present invention relates to a portable misting fan which maybe formed as an integral unit, and further includes a connector whichpermits the unit to be attached directly to a fluid reservoir, such as atypical bottle having a screw-threaded neck. In this format, theportable misting fan of the present invention has far greaterportability and use since the entire cooling unit including the fan andatomizing head, and related accessories in order to cause the atomizerand fan to operate may be connected to any typical screw-threaded neckedbottle and be useful for the purpose intended.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to providean improved portable misting fan which is formed as an integral unitconsisting of an upper chamber to accommodate the fan assembly,including the motor and electrical means to operate the same, and alower chamber which accommodates an atomizing head and activation meansfor activating the atomizing head, and a connector attached to the lowerend portion of the lower chamber, to accommodate interconnection with afluid reservoir such as a bottle or the like having a screw-threadedneck.

In conjunction with the foregoing object, it is a further object of thepresent invention to provide a portable misting fan of the typedescribed wherein the fan unit is provided with flexible fan blades inorder to minimize air resistance, and to minimize an injury to the userthereof, and also permits the use of a lighter weight and more efficientmotor since the fan blade assembly is extremely light weight and easilyrotatable.

In conjunction with the foregoing object, a further object of thepresent invention is to provide a portable misting fan of the typedescribed wherein the atomizing head is located immediately below, butin horizontal alignment with the path of travel of the fan blades, suchthat upon atomization of the fluid from the fluid reservoir, the fluidis ejected into the path of travel of the fan blades thereby to furtheratomize the fluid in order to effect a greater cooling experience forthe user.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a portablemisting fan of the type described wherein the head unit is furtherprovided with a connector consisting in the typical case of ascrew-threaded cap, which permits the disengageable engagement of theentire head unit to a fluid reservoir such as a typical bottle having athreaded neck.

A further feature of the invention pertains to the particulararrangement of the parts whereby the above outline and additionaloperating features thereof are attained.

The invention both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages thereof will best beunderstood by reference to the following specification taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, in cross-section, showing the entirehead unit, the connector and a fluid reservoir to which the head unit isattached; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly blown apart, and partly incross-section, showing the manner in which the electrical meansactivates the fan motor in order to operate the fan assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In summary, the present invention provides a totally portable mistingfan unit, which is accommodated as an entire unit including a connectorsuitable for attachment to a fluid reservoir, typically such as a bottleor other container having a threaded neck. As such, the portable mistingfan unit may be attached to any fluid reservoir, and forms a verycompact and efficient portable cooling unit for use by the operatorthereof.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a portable misting fan unitwherein the fan assembly includes fan blades formed of a thin flexiblefoam material thereby to minimize the weight associated therewith, andalso to prevent injury to the operator in the event that the fan bladeshould touch the operator when in use. Furthermore, the presentinvention contemplates that the atomizing head is located immediatelybelow and in horizontal alignment with the path of movement of the fanblades, such that when fluid is ejected from the atomizing head, itcomes into direct contact with the moving fan blades, such that thefluid is further atomized in order to break up the fluid particles tocreate a very fine mist in the area immediately forward of the fanblade. The net effect of the misting capability of the present inventionis that when directed to the user's skin, the cooling effect achieved bythe fan and is further enhanced since the fluid is further atomized andthe effect upon the skin of the user is to enhance the coolingcapability using the fan and the atomized fluid.

Furthermore, the present invention has greater portability and usabilitysince the unit is created as a unit with a connector, and is designed toattach to any typical bottle having a threaded neck, whether the bottlebe formed of glass or plastic. As such, the fluid reservoir is notintegrally formed with the unit, and hence, the operator may connect theportable misting fan unit to any reservoir having a threaded neck of theproper thread size.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With specific reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be observedthat the present invention is formed by a head unit generally denoted bythe numeral 10. The head unit 10 is comprised of an upper chamber 12 anda lower chamber 14. The lower chamber 14 has a lower end 15 whichcarries a connector 16 thereon. The mounting of the connector 16 to thelower end 15 of the lower chamber 14 is accommodated in a mannerwell-known in the art. The lower end 15 includes a flange extendingdownwardly therefrom, and the connector 16 has a central aperturetherein, with the flange extending below the aperture, and having asealing washer positioned below the connector aperture such that oncethe connector is screw-threadedly attached to a bottle, the connectoraperture is sealed. Hence, it will be appreciated that the connector 16is freely rotatable in its free-hanging position when not engaged to ascrew-threaded bottle. As indicated, this arrangement is quite commonand typical, and well-known in connection with sprayer bottles typicallyused by the consumer, especially the type which contain householdcleaning solvents, waxes and the like.

Further, it will be appreciated that the connector 16 takes the form ofa threaded cap, again much similar to the caps provided with plasticcontainers with household cleaners contained therein, and wherein thecap carries a trigger-squeezer assembly for extracting the cleaningsolvent from the bottle and permitting the operator to apply it directlyto a surface.

As more specifically shown in FIG. 1, the upper chamber 12 includes aforward chamber 18 which is provided with a front wall 19 and has acentral aperture 20 formed therein. The forward chamber 18 carries amotor 22 which has an output shaft 23 at the forward end thereof, and apair of electrical contact points 25 and 26 respectively at the rear endthereof (see FIG. 2).

The upper chamber 12 also is provided with a rear chamber 28 whichcarries therein the electrical power means in the form of batteries 30.The back end of the rear chamber 28 is open, thereby to accommodate theinsertion and removal of the batteries 30 from the rear chamber 28, andis enclosed by means of a switch door 32 which slideably engages at theback end of the rear chamber 28 to enclose the same. The switch door 32is provided with a slide switch 33 (see FIG. 2) which is interconnectedwith a pair of contacts 34 and 35 respectively which, in operation, willengage contact plates 37 and 38 respectively. It is contemplated thatthe operation of the slide switch 33 in conjunction with the contacts 34and 35, and the contact plates 37 and 38 is well-known in the art, sincesuch slide switches are used in many applications. The mechanics andoperation of the switch assembly as described herein is well-known inthe art and is not considered to be critical to the invention herein.Suffice it to say that in operation, when the slide switch 33 is movedto the on position, contact is established between the positive andnegative terminals of the batteries 30 in order to energize the motor 22and cause the rotational movement of the output shaft 23.

It will also be observed that at the forward end of the forward chamber18 is a fan hub assembly 40 consisting of a fan hub 41 which, at itsrear side, attaches to the output shaft 23. The fan hub 41 is providedwith a plurality of fan blades 42 which are secured thereto such thatonce the output shaft 23 is energized to rotate, the fan hub 41 andassociated fan blades 42 will similarly rotate.

In connection with the present invention, the fan blades 42 are formedof a very light weight, flexible foam material which are veryunobtrusive with respect to a human. In other words, if the fan blades42 are in their rotational mode and rotating at high speed, any touchingengagement with a human will be non-obtrusive and non-harmful since thefans blades 42 flexible and formed of a foam material.

The lower chamber 14 is shown to accommodate a piston type pump 45 whichconsists of a piston 46 carried within the confines of a piston chamber47. The piston 46 is activated by means of a trigger 48 which ispivotally mounted to the lower chamber 14 in such a manner as to beeasily manipulable by the operator, and as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thepiston chamber 47 has a fluid inlet port 49 which accommodates a fluidtube 51 which frictionally fits therein, and extends downwardly andbeyond the lower confines of the connector cap 16. Further, the pistonchamber 47 contains a fluid outlet port 53 to which is connected anoutlet tube 54 and terminates in an atomizing head 55. The atomizinghead 55 has an outlet port 56 through which the fluid is ejected in amanner well-known in the art. It will also be observed that the inletport 49 is provided with a ball valve assembly 50 which operates in amanner well-known in the art. It will be appreciated that when thetrigger 48 is activated to push the piston 46 inwardly, a vacuum iscreated to remove the ball from the ball seat in the manner known,thereby allowing fluid up the fluid tube 51 and into the chamber 47which will then exit through the outlet tube 54 and pass through theatomizing head 55. Once again, the structure of the pump assembly as awhole is well-known in the art and is not considered to be the inventivesubject matter of the present invention other than in combination withthe head unit 10 as a whole.

It is contemplated that the pump, pump activation means includingtrigger, and means of drawing the fluid from the fluid reservoir intothe pump chamber and out the outlet port 56 and the atomizing head 55 isalso well-known in the art for the reason that many such assembliesexist for household use. The typical example of such assemblies is ahousehold cleaner contained within a plastic bottle and provided with atrigger pump at the top end through which the operator may manipulatethe pump trigger in order to cause fluid to be ejected from the fluidreservoir out of the outlet port, again in a manner well-known in theart.

With respect to the present invention, it will be observed that theatomizing head 55 and the outlet port 56 formed therein is locatedimmediately below and in a horizontal alignment with the path of travelof the fan blades 42. As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the operatormanipulates the trigger 48 to cause fluid from the fluid reservoir 60 tobe drawn into the piston chamber 47 and out through the atomizing head55, the fluid will be ejected immediately rearwardly of the fan blades,and when the fan blades 42 are in their operating rotational mode, thefluid will strike the rear of the fan blade and be further atomized. Theeffect of the atomization is that when the operator directs the fan andthe atomizing mist on their body, the cooling effect is furtherenhanced.

It will be observed that the piston 46 and piston chamber 47 is springloaded by means of the coil spring 58 in a manner typically known in theart such that the operator is permitted to effect several cycles of thepump in order to keep a steady stream of the fluid 70 from the fluidreservoir 60 coming up through the fluid tube 51 and exiting through thefluid port 56.

It will be observed also that the fluid reservoir 60 is in the form of abottle which may be a typical plastic bottle of the type having ascrew-threaded head. In this manner, the connector 16 is similarly inthe form of a typical plastic cap which has internal threads formedtherein, the entire head unit 10 may be easily disengaged from anybottle reservoir 60, and reattached to any other bottle having athreaded neck portion. Further, since the connector cad 16 is fittedonto the flange hanging from the lower chamber 14 in the mannerpreviously indicated, the entire head unit 10 is rotatable relative tothe connector 16, once the connector is screw threadedly engaged ontothe fluid bottle reservoir 60.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that the entire portable misting fanof the present invention including the atomizing head and fan assemblyis carried on a single head unit which is integrally formed, and furtherincludes a connector associated therewith such that the entire unit maybe disengaged from any bottle and re-engaged to any other bottle havinga screw threaded neck. Further, since the atomizing head is now locatedimmediately rearwardly of the path of travel of the fan blades 42, thefluid exiting from the fluid port 56 will exit and strike the fan blades42 as the same rotate to effect a fine mist or further atomizing of thefluid such that the mist, when directed at the operator's body, willhave a very cooling effect.

As previously indicated, the fan blades 42 are formed of a flexible foammaterial such that they are very light weight, and unobtrusive andnon-harmful to a human even when in striking contract with the humanbody. A further beneficial effect of providing fan blades which areformed of a foam material is the fact that the motor 22 may be a lightweight motor since it does not have to push a heavy load in rotationalfashion. As such, a lower torque motor may be employed in the device,which also requires less current to operate. This will result in alonger life for the batteries 30, and in total, require lower cost inorder to manufacture and maintain the operational characteristics of thedevice.

It will therefore be appreciated while there has been described what isat present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention,it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein andit is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications asfall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. An integral portable fan and atomizing head unit forming aportable cooling unit, adapted for direct attachment to a fluidreservoir of the type having connection means for accepting theconnection thereto of the cooling unit, comprising in combination,a headunit formed by an upper chamber and a lower chamber and having aconnector secured to said lower chamber, said upper chamber providedwith a motor and electrical means to activate and deactivate said motor,and fan means including flexible fan blades mounted externally on saidupper chamber and connected to said motor to turn in response to theactivation of said motor, said lower chamber provided with pump meansand pump activation means carried therein and provided with an atomizinghead in fluid communication with said pump means and pump activationmeans, said atomizing head being positioned below said upper chamber andin direct horizontal alignment with said fan means, said connector onsaid lower chamber being adapted to disengageably engage the connectionmeans of the fluid reservoir, said upper chamber, lower chamber andconnector formed as an integral head unit, whereby said head unit may bedisengageably engaged to a fluid reservoir which provides a source offluid and said pump means may be activated to expel a fluid in the pathof the fan means when the fan means is simultaneously activated inresponse to the activation of said motor thereby to provide a portablecooling unit.
 2. The portable cooling unit as set forth in claim 1above, wherein said head unit is disengageably engaged to the fluidreservoir thereby to be transferrable to an alternate fluid reservoirhaving connection means associated therewith.
 3. The portable coolingunit as set forth in claim 1 above, wherein said electrical meanscomprises a pair of positive and negative contacts, said positive andnegative contacts being in contact with said motor, an on/off switch,and batteries interposed between said switch and said positive andnegative contacts thereby to provide electrical energy to said motorwhen said switch is manipulated to the on position.
 4. The portablecooling unit as set forth in claim 3 above, wherein said pump meanscomprises a spring-loaded piston carried within said lower chamber, saidlower chamber further provided with a first fluid entry port which, inuse, is in fluid communication with the fluid in the fluid reservoir,and a second fluid exit port formed in said lower chamber, said fluidexit port being positioned below said upper chamber and in horizontalalignment with said fan means, whereby fluid expelled by said pumpthrough said fluid exit port will strike said fan means therebyatomizing the expelled fluid.
 5. The portable cooling unit as set forthin claim 4 above, wherein said fan means comprises a fan hub connectedto said motor by a motor shaft, and a plurality of flexible fan bladesmounted on said fan hub adapted to travel in a circular path.
 6. Theportable cooling unit as set forth in claim 5 above, wherein said fluidexit port is positioned to be in horizontal alignment with the circularpath of travel of said flexible fan blades, whereby fluid expelled fromsaid fluid exit port will strike said flexible fan blades when saidmotor is electrically activated to rotate said fan hub and atomize thefluid.
 7. The portable cooling unit as set forth in claim 6 above,wherein said connector mounted on said lower chamber comprises a capprovided with screw threads, and the fluid reservoir comprises a bottlehead having a screw-threaded neck forming the connection means thereof,whereby said head unit may be screw threadedly mounted on a bottle ofthe type having a screw-threaded neck thereby to form a portable coolingunit.